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Sony W530 vs Sony A55

Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
21
Overall
30
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Key Specs

Sony W530
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 113g - 93 x 53 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched August 2010
  • Renewed by Sony A57
Photography Glossary

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Overview

The following is a in-depth analysis of the Sony W530 vs Sony A55, one is a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR and they are both produced by Sony. The image resolution of the W530 (14MP) and the A55 (16MP) is very comparable but the W530 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The W530 was manufactured 5 months after the A55 so they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony W530 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the W530 matches up vs the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony W530 over the Sony A55

 W530 A55 

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Sony W530

 A55 W530 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Sony W530 and Sony A55

 W530 A55 
LaunchedJanuary 2011August 2010Same generation
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to travel with your camera often, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Sony W530 offers physical measurements of 93mm x 53mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") having a weight of 113 grams (0.25 lbs) and the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Look at the Sony W530 vs Sony A55 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is the front view overall size comparison of the W530 against the A55.

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the W530 and A55 is 96 and 67 respectively.

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions merely by seeing specifications. The picture below may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the W530 and A55.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The W530 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A55 will provide extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively.

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony W530
Portrait photography with Sony A55
28
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
73
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony W530 Street photography advice
Sony A55 Street photography advice
48
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
77
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony W530 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A55 as a Sports photography camera
26
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
low fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
low battery (380 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W530 Travel photography features
Sony A55 Travel photography features
65
resolution is good (14MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
62
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
does not have Timelapse function
low battery (380 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony W530 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A55 Landscape photography highlights
33
decently wide (26mm)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
manual focus not available
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual mode
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
missing Timelapse function
67
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
low battery (380 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony W530
Vlogging with Sony A55
26
decently wide (26mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.7)
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external microphone jack
78
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone port
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Sony W530 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W530 and Sony A55
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W530 Sony SLT-A55
Class Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2011-01-06 2010-08-24
Body design Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-104mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.7-5.7 -
Macro focus distance 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Screen size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech Clear Photo LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 2 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 3.50 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 113g (0.25 lb) 500g (1.10 lb)
Dimensions 93 x 53 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model NP-BN1 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch cost $269 $800